Brownsville man accused of matricide

BROWNSVILLE, Ore. – Linn County Sheriff’s deputies said a man killed his own mother Friday and then ran off with three children.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 9-1-1 call at about 3 p.m. from a residence on Blakely Avenue and said initial information indicated that 48-year-old Gerlene A. Thorne of Brownsville had been shot and killed by her son. Police said the son fled the residence in a green Chevrolet Tahoe with three children.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested Thorne’s son, 31-year-old Josh Lee Shaddon, after stopping a vehicle just north of the city limits that matched the description given to police.

Shaddon was first detained as a person of interest and the three children found in the vehicle were unharmed. After an investigation, Shaddon was arrested and charged with murder.

He is being housed in the Linn County Jail. The children were returned to their mother. It was not immediately clear who the children belonged to.

A background check of Shaddon revealed the only record he has is parking tickets.

The investigation is ongoing and it is unclear to what may have led to the alleged shooting.